Oregon 

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Latest news on Oregon, covering Portland, Salem politics, housing, wildfires, the economy, crime, weather and more from the Beaver State in the Pacific Northwest.

Oregon is a Pacific Northwest state of about 4.2 million people, stretching from the rugged Pacific coast and the Cascade Range to the high desert of the east. Salem is the capital and Portland the largest city, with Eugene, Bend, Medford, Hillsboro, Beaverton and Corvallis also in the news. Technology, semiconductors, agriculture, forestry, wine and outdoor recreation drive the economy, and the Portland area's "Silicon Forest" is centred on Hillsboro.

Politics in Salem centres on the governor and the Legislature. Housing supply, homelessness, public safety, addiction treatment, education funding and the cost of living are recurring themes. Voters approved Measure 110 in 2020 to decriminalise personal drug possession, and lawmakers restored criminal penalties in 2024 alongside treatment and deflection programmes. Ballot measures remain a powerful part of state politics.

Wildfires, drought and heatwaves are among the state's biggest concerns, with smoke affecting communities across the Willamette Valley and beyond. Forest policy, timber, salmon recovery, Columbia River management and coastal erosion also feature, along with earthquake and tsunami preparedness on the Cascadia coast.

Oregon is known for craft beer, pinot noir from the Willamette Valley, food carts and an outdoors culture that spans Crater Lake, Mount Hood, the Columbia River Gorge and the coast. Portland is a hub for design, music, independent bookshops and civic activism.

Indigenous peoples have lived in the region for thousands of years. The Oregon Trail brought tens of thousands of settlers in the 19th century, and Oregon became the 33rd state on 14 February 1859. It later pioneered land-use planning, the Death with Dignity Act of 1997 and statewide vote by mail from 1998. Timber shaped its early economy before technology and services grew.

Our NewsNow feed on Oregon brings together the latest headlines from across the state, covering Salem politics, Portland, crime and public safety, housing, transport, weather and wildfire updates, the economy and community stories from every region of the Beaver State.